The popular perception is that ZZ Top morphed as they crossed the boundary line into the 80s. Where once the Texans had been a smooth-chinned, roadhouse-ready little ol’ blues outfit, runs the narrative, now they came with a thicket of facial hair, banks of synthesisers and furry spinning guitars to hypnotise the MTV generation.
The truth is a little more transitional, and best encapsulated by Degüello, the thumping sixth album that saluted the Top’s early-70s sound, spiced it with fresh flavours and instruments and began formulating the image that plunged them into 80s pop culture. As Billy Gibbons reflected in a 2013 interview: “Degüello was an interesting bridge from this hard-blues trio.”
